Acetylene-generator



L. W. HAMILTON. ACETYLENE GENERATOR. APPLICATION HLED mm. 12. I917.

Patented Jan. 18, 1921.

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ATTORN EY L. W. HAMILTON. AC fTYLENE GENERATOR. APPLlCATiON FILED MAR. I2. 1912.

"1,365,913, Patented Jam 18, 1921 2 SHEETS--SHEET 2. 134 .2

LeadWfizfiuwmqj W ITN ES 5 E5 ATTORNEY LEVI WOLFORD HAMILTON, OF PORTLAND, TENNESSEE.

ACETYLENE-GENERATOR.

Application filed March 12, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEVI W. HAMILTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Portland, in the county of Summer and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Acetylene-Generator, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to acetylene generators, and its object is to provide an acetylene generator of simple construction which will avoid someobjections which have been found to exist in acetylene generators as heretofore constructed.

In accordance. with the invention two tanks are provided, one inclosing a carbid chamber or receptacle with an underlying water chamber, and the other tank containing a gas bell, the tanks being connected to suitable piping for conducting the generated acetylene gas from the generating chamber to the storage chamber represented by the gas bell;

The carbid chamber is provided with an inverted conical bottom portion in which is located a conical hood overlying an opening through the smaller end of the conical bottom, and in such openingthere is lodged a conical valve so arranged that the valve is partly within and partly below the conical bottom and extends at all times through the outlet of the carbid chamber. The valve is of such length that while its large end is below the carbid chamber and is too large to enter the carbid chamber through the outlet thereof, the small end is within the conical hood overlying the outlet end of the carbid chamber. The hood has a hollow stem rising from it and through this hollow stem projlects a valve stem carrying the conical va ve, the stem being in turn carried by a rock arm on a shaft extending to the exterior of the chamber in which the carbid chamber is lodged and there provided with an arm carrying an. adjustable weight, which arm is also connected to the gas bell so as to be actuated thereby.

The invention includes other features which will be described hereinafter.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, with the further under standing that while the drawings show a practical form of the invention, the latter is not confined to any strict conformity with Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 18, 1921.

Serial No. 154,262.

the showing of the drawings, but may be changed and modified so long as such changes andmodifications come within the scope of the appended claim,

In the drawings liigure 1 is a plan viewof the acetylene generator with the top ofthe carbid chamber removed. I Fig. 2 is a vertical cross sectional View of the apparatus with. certain. parts shown in elevation. I

Fig. 8 is a section on the line 3-3 of Iteferring to the drawings there is shown a casing 1 from which rises another casing 2 constituting a continuation ofthe casing 1, and which may be of less diameter than the casing 1. The two casings are in free communication .where they join, and the a casing 2 is provided with a removable cover 3. Within the casing 2 near the upper end thereof is a carbid'chamber i which may be in the form of a cylinder supported by brackets 5 on the interior of the casing 2. The carbid chamber 4 has a bottom 6 of inverted frusto-conical form having an opening 7 through its smaller lower end, through which opening carbid may fall and enter the chamber 1. When the parts are ready for operation the chamber 1 contains a suitable quantity of water, indicated in Fig. 2 at 8, so that the carbid is acted upon by the water to produce acetylene gas in the usual way. In order to fill the chamber 1 with water a screw plug 9 is provided, thus per mitting access to the chamber 1. and providing a means for closing the chamber against escape of the generated gas to the atmos phere.

Extending across the interior of the carbid chamber 4: are spaced strips 10 supporting an upright tube 11, which at the lower end, is expanded into or carries a coneshaped shield or deflector 12 entering the conical bottomfi in overriding relation to the opening 7 and approaching, but at the edges spaced from, the walls of the bottom 6. The width of the cone 12 at its other lower end is greater than the width of the opening 7, so that the weight of a mass of calcium carbid in the carbid receptacle is in most part suppported by the cone 12, thus relieving the bottom 6 from such weight to a marked extent.

Extending through the opening 7 is a conical valve 13, which valve may be of holk by the arch low construction, and has its larger or basic end below the bottom 6 and of greater diameter than the opening 7. The apex end of the cone valve 13 is located high enough to enter the cone shield 12, and the valve is carried by a valve stem 11 extending through the tube 11 to a point above the latter, where it is carried by a rock arm 15 fast on a rock shaft 16 having ournal bearings 17, 18 in opposite sides of the extension 2 of the casing 1. The shaft 16 passes through the chamber 1- as seen in Fig. 1 and has one end extended through the exterior of the casing 2 and there carries an arm 19 with an adjustable weight 20 on one end.

The cover 3 is secured to the casing 2 by bolts or otherwise and carries a removable plug 22, whereby access may be had to the interior of the carbid container for introducing carbid thereinto.

Entering the casing 1 is a tube 23 through which there extends a rotatable rod 24L carrying a pivoted plate 25 within the casing 1 at the bottom thereof, while the other or upper end of the rod 24 has a handle 26, whereby the rod may be rotated to agitate sludge accumulating on the bottom of the casing 1. A removable plug 27 is provided near the bottom of the casing 1 for drawing off the sludge after agitation.

Adjacent to the casing l is another casing 28 having an open top and containing a gas bell 29, the casing 28 being supplied with a suitable quantity of water, indicated at 30, to provide a water seal for the gas bell in the usual manner. The bell 29 is provided with brackets 31 traveling along the upright members of an arch frame 32 so that the bell may rise and fall and be guided 32. In order to support the arch other brackets 33, 34:, respectively, are made fast to the exterior of the casing 28 and receive the lower ends of the legs of the arch 32 to support the latter. One of the brackets 31 on the bell 29 has a chain 35 fast at one end thereto, while the other end of the chain is providedwith a book 36 engaging that end of the arm 19 remote from the weight 20, so that the weight 20 will drop when the bell 29 rises and will be pulled up when the bell 29 drops. V

The space in the casing 2 below the carbid chamber and that portion of the chamber 1 above the level of water therein constitutes a gas chamber. Leading from the casing 2 1s a pipe 37 connected to another pipe 38, which in turn is connected to still another pipe 39 leading into the casing 28 near the bottom thereof. so as to be below the lower limit of travel of the bell 29. The pipe 39 connects to a riser 40 continued to a high point in the bell 29, and then having a down- Wardly extended leg 11 terminating at a considerable distance below the level of the Water v30 in the casing 28 in a T branch 42,

point is another pipe l3 continued downwardly to near the bottom of the casing 23 where it is connected to another pipe ll leading through the casing 28 to the exterior thereof, and there connected to a service pipe 4-5 through a controlling valve .413 and a filter 17. The pipes 39 and 14-. are connected together for mutual support by a plug 13 screwed fast to the two pipes, but preventing communication between them.

lVhenthe generator is first placed in commission the chain is unhooked from the arm 19, whereupon the weight 20 rocks the arm 19 in a direction to raise the valve 13 into closing position with respect to the opening 7, the weight being sullicient to hold the valve in such closed position against any tendency of the carbid to force it open. Vater is placed. in both chambers or casings 1 and 28 and carbid ,is llllLIOdl'lCQLl into the carbid container 4 through the opening normally closed by the plug 22, which plug is afterward replaced.

lVith the parts thus in readiness the bell 29 is raised and. the chain end of arm 19 lowered until the chain 25 an be hooked on. to the arm 19 and by rocking the arm '19 a. few times at suitable intervals carbid is dis- :harged into the water 8 and gas is generated and accumulates in the bell 29 until the latter has risen sulliciently to permit the weight 20 to drop, and thereby close the valve 13. Because of the tapering shape of the valve 13 within the carbid chamber with the taper being in a direction and of an extent to enter the shield 12, all liability of the valve being caught in the open position by a piece of carbid large enough to hold it in such position is avoided. here a relatively small red extends through the discharge opening of the carbid chamber it frequently occurs that a piece of carbid of larger size than usual will jam the rod and hold the valve open, so that the smaller pieces of carbid will continue to feed without control. The result is that the generator becomes overcharged with gas and both the carbid and the gas are wasted. This occurs sometimes even when a. shield like the shield 12 overrides the valve. Again, when the valve tapers toward the discharge opening of the carbid chamber pieces of carbid will lodge.

Vith the acetylene generator described imperfect feed has never been experienced, although many generators have been emloo lllfi lll) ployed throu h some years of testi This certainty of fleed-is ascribed to the act that the valve is partly within and part1 without the carbid holder and is larger be ow the discharge opening than it is above the discharge opening, the valve always rising above any carbld which may engage it, and also rising so high in the carbid chamber at all times that the upper end of the valve is Within the protecting hood or deflector overriding the discharge opening of the carbid container.

The comparatively small valve rod is entirely free from contact with carbid at any time.

The car-bid receptacle 4 being a separate structure from the casing member 2 is removable therefrom when the cover 3 is re moved. In order to hold the carbid receptacle in proper relation so that the shaft 16 may be removed from its bearings and replaced therein, since the shaft extends throu h the carbid receptacle, the cover 3 is provi ed with a depending holding member 49 provided at its lower end with entering slots 50 so positioned as to straddle the upper guide strips 10. This insures the proper location of the carbid receptacle on the brackets 5 to readily receive the shaft 16.

What is claimed is In an acetylene generator, a generating chamber provided with a removable carbid receptacle having a conical deflector within the receptacle and located over the outlet thereof, said deflector being provided with an axial tubular extension, supporting strips connected to opposite sides of the carbid receptacle and embracing the tubular extension, a cover for the generating chamber, a valve for the outlet of the carbid receptacle, an operating shaft for the valve extending to the exterior of the carbid receptacle, and a depending member on the cover having slots for receiving a guide strip to hold the receptacle in fixed position in the generating chamber when placed therein.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

LEVI WOLFORD HAMILTON.

Witnesses:

R. W. ENDERs, LUTHER ANDERSON. 

